Women’s Health
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12503/21642
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Browsing Women’s Health by Author "Hartos, Jessica"
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Item Does Mental Health Differ by Ethnicity and Income in Middle-Aged Females?(2019-03-05) Swickard, Shannon; Cahill, Abby; Powell, Sharonica; Samuels, Kenya; Hartos, Jessica; Jamieson, SeanAbstract Purpose: There is conflicting research surrounding how mental health in middle-aged women differs by ethnicity and income. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine whether mental health differs by ethnicity and income in middle-aged women in the general population. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis used 2016 BRFSS data for middle-aged women from Alabama (N=1455), Mississippi (N=1082), North Carolina (N=1215), South Carolina (N=2277), and Tennessee (N=1263). Ordered logistic regression analysis by state was used to assess the relationship between mental health and ethnicity and income, while controlling for age, marital status, educational level, employment status, physical health status, tobacco use, and alcohol use. Results: About half of the middle-aged women reported low to moderate mental health (39-48%), half to most reported being white (52-81%), and about half reported an income of less than 50,000 per year (52-67%). The results of this study indicated that mental health did not differ significantly by income, but did differ significantly by ethnicity after controlling for health-related and demographic factors. In addition, mental health was consistently and significantly related to age, tobacco use, and physical health. Conclusion: Overall, ethnicity was found to be related to mental health in general population samples of middle-aged women ages 40-64; however, income was not found to be related to mental health. Limitations of this study include underrepresentation of particular ethnicities and a lack of more in-depth measures that may affect mental health. Providers can expect a moderate (38-45%) proportion of patients with low to moderate mental health. It is recommended that practitioners in a primary care setting screen all middle-aged women for mental health; taking special care to screen white patients, smokers, those with low to moderate physical health, and those under the age of 55. It is recommended that providers treat, educate, and refer these patients as necessary.Item Is Weight Status Related to Sleep Duration in Middle Aged Women?(2019-03-05) Hartos, Jessica; Alston, Annalee; Jones, Jessica; Sparks, Cori; Cavazos, EmilyPurpose: Both obesity and short sleep duration are epidemics in the United States but the relationship between these has yet to be studied exclusively in females age 45-64. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between weight status and sleep duration in middle aged women. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional analysis that used data from the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for middle-aged females (45-64 years old) from Alabama (N=1,235), Arkansas (N=947), Louisiana (N=1,045), and Mississippi (N=942). Ordered logistic regression was conducted separately by state to assess the relationship between weight status and sleep duration while controlling for health conditions, tobacco use, alcohol use, education level, employment status, income level, ethnicity, and age. Results: A quarter of the participants reported having short or long sleep duration (24-27%), and almost half reported having an obese weight status (44-48%) and two or more health conditions (40-45%). There was no significant relationship between weight status and sleep duration in middle aged females’, however, sleep duration was related to health conditions in three of four states. Conclusion: There was no relation between weight status and sleep duration among middle aged females across states. However, short sleep was related to two or more health conditions in three of four states. Results of the study may be generalized to middle aged women in a primary care setting. Because of the relationship we found, this target population should be screened for short sleep duration and number of health conditions, if they present with symptoms of either. Education about healthy BMI and sleep duration should be provided to all middle aged women due to their significant comorbidities. Referral to sleep therapy for those who report short sleep duration could prove beneficial.